Modern high-speed aircraft generally have thin wings that provide a low drag profile during high-speed or cruise flight. The wings of these aircraft often include various movable surfaces to provide aircraft control and/or to configure the aircraft for low-speed operations (e.g., take-off and landing). For example, in addition to carrying fuel, the wings of a high-speed transport aircraft typically include aileron surfaces, spoiler surfaces, leading edge devices, and trailing edge flap surfaces. These movable surfaces are often located at or near the leading and trailing edges of the wing, and are each movable between a stowed position and a variety of deployed positions, depending upon the particular flight condition of the aircraft.
FIG. 1A is a partially schematic illustration of a portion of an aircraft 10a (in this case, a Boeing 767 aircraft) having a fuselage 11 and a wing 20 with high lift devices configured in accordance with the prior art. The high lift devices can include deployable slats 21 positioned toward the leading edge of the wing 20, and multiple trailing edge devices positioned toward the trailing edge of the wing 20. The trailing edge devices can include an outboard aileron 34, an outboard flap 32a, an inboard aileron 60a, and an inboard flap 31a. The inboard and outboard ailerons 60a, 34 can be used generally for roll control of the aircraft 10a, and the inboard and outboard flaps 31a, 32a can be used to control the lift of the aircraft 10a at lower speeds (e.g., during take-off and landing). The ailerons 60a, 34 are simple hinged devices that are ungapped when in their deployed positions. Conversely, when the inboard and outboard flaps 31a, 32a are deployed, they move in an aft direction to open a gap relative to the wing 20. This aft motion is shown schematically by motion paths 41a and 42a, respectively. Because the inboard flap motion path 41a converges with the outboard flap motion path 42a, the inboard aileron 60a located between the inboard flap 31a and the outboard flap 32a does not move aft when deployed (as indicated by motion path 43a) so as to avoid interference with the adjacent flaps 31a, 32a. 
FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional illustration of the inboard aileron 60a, illustrating the location of a hinge line 61 about which the inboard aileron 60a pivots relative to the wing 20. Because the hinge line 61 is located toward the front of the inboard aileron 60a and within the contour of the inboard aileron 60a, a gap does not open between the inboard aileron 60a and the wing when the inboard aileron 60a deflects either upwardly or downwardly. Instead, the leading edge 71 of the inboard aileron 60a remains in close proximity to an aft-facing cove 37 of the wing 20.
FIG. 1C is a partially schematic illustration of a portion of another aircraft 10b (in this case, a Boeing 777 aircraft) having a fuselage 11 and a wing 20 with high lift devices configured in accordance with another prior art arrangement. The trailing edge devices can include an inboard flap 31b, an outboard flap 32b, and a flaperon 60b, all of which can travel aft during deployment to open corresponding gaps relative to the wing 20. Accordingly, the inboard flap 31b can travel aft along an inboard flap motion path 41b, and the outboard flap 32b can move along a generally parallel outboard flap motion path 42b. Because the inboard and outboard flap motion paths 41b, 42b are generally parallel, the flaperon 60b can also move aft to a gapped position along a flaperon motion path 43b that is generally parallel to the inboard and outboard flap motion paths 41b, 42b. Inboard spoilers 51 and outboard spoilers 52 can be used as speed brakes and/or to control the size of the gap between the wing 20 and the flaps 31b, 32b. 
An advantage of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1C when compared with the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is that the aft motion of the flaperon 60b can allow it to be deployed to greater deflections without causing flow separations, by virtue of the gap that opens between the flaperon 60b and the wing 20. Accordingly, the flaperon 60b can be operated at high deflection rates for roll control, and at high deflection angles for lift control. However, a potential drawback with this arrangement is that complex mechanisms are typically required to deploy the flaperon 60b to its aft configuration, particularly if the mechanism is configured to fit within a shallow wing section, so as to reduce the size of external fairings. On the other hand, simple mechanisms (e.g., a simple hinge), tend to extend well beyond the contours of the wing section, which requires relatively large, heavy hinge supports and associated fairings that generate drag. Accordingly, there is a need for improved, lightweight trailing edge devices.